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Pikachu
Pikachu is a fictional creature from the Pokémon video game series and the corresponding franchise which also includes animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu has been part of the franchise since its first game debuted on the Game Boy and has since become one of the most well-known varieties of Pokémon. The character has become the mascot of the Pokémon franchise and one of the major characters in Nintendo video gaming. History with the Macy's Parade Flying Pikachu (2001) Pikachu was introduced to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2001, its 75th anniversary. Although this was his first appearance as a balloon, he was allowed to appear in walk-around form on the "Toon Balloon-Abration" float along with a number of characters who had balloons in the parade that had since been retired. Also, Pikachu's balloon in the parade that year was preceded by a themed Volkswagen Beetle called the "PikaMobile"; This balloon is also notable for being one of the shortest balloons in Parade's history, at only 30-feet tall. This balloon is also known as "Flying Pikachu", and continued to appear until the 2005 parade. After it was retired in 2005, it was later used as the test subject for a trial flight in Times Square on May 22, 2006, after an accident from the previous year's Parade. Of note, this was the only time a test flight took place in a Manhattan route. The balloon made and additional appearance on August 8, 2006 at Bryant Park, as part of the "Party of the Decade" for Pokemon's 10th anniversary. The original Pikachu balloon would be seen one last time in 2007, making a special appearance in the now-defunct Balloonopolis, located in Universal Orlando Resort. The balloon has yet to make another appearance. Pikachu With Pokéball (2006) In 2006, to celebrate Pokémon's 10th Anniversary, a brand-new, larger Pikachu balloon made his Parade debut alongside a 14-foot Pokéball, which he chases down the Parade route. This balloon was the second-ever balloon to utilize blinking lights, in the form of Pikachu's flashing cheeks. This feature was also previously used for the Cheesasaurus Rex balloon's camera. This version of the balloon was joined by sculpted statues of Reshiram and Zekrom, the two title characters of ''Pokémon: Black and White ''video games in 2010 to promote the game. This version of the balloon appeared until 2013 and was later retired. It is known that this balloon remains intact and survives as of November 2016. Pikachu (2014) Pikachu would return the following year with an all-new design. The balloon featured Pikachu sporting a stylish red-and-green scarf while carrying a miniature snowman Pikachu. This balloon was based off a 2008 japan Pokémon center Christmas Pikachu plush, This balloon would not have the flashing cheek effect, but the reasoning for this is unknown. The balloon still makes appearances as of 2019. Incidents * In 2012, Pikachu's ears were deflated. It is unknown how they deflated, although it is possible that the ears were over-inflated and busted due to the expanding helium, or they could've been under-inflating, causing the balloon to deflate on the route. This also happened with many other balloons that same year. Defects *In 2013, Pikachu's Pokéball was somewhat deflated. Music Below, you will find a list of the music tracks that played during the balloon's appearance on the NBC telecast * Pokémon Theme (Instrumental) (2001-2013) * Pokémon X and Y Title Screen (2014-present) Gallery Gallery: Pikachu Trivia * Much like the Goku balloon, Pikachu's time during the NBC broadcast was widely discussed online, with Al Roker's mispronunciation of "Pokémon". * The second version of the Pikachu balloon had a brief appearance in the Detective Pikachu movie, where it was blown up by Mewtwo. Category:2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Video Game Characters Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:2000s Balloons Category:2010s Balloons Category:Male Balloons Category:Balloons accompanied by novelty balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons used outside of the parade Category:Current Balloons Category:Big Balloons Category:Balloons used for Practice Flights Category:Light-Up Balloons